patent

Let it be known, ambitious original equipment manufacturers: if you get too successful, expect a visit from Microsoft, asking for their latest round of protection money patent license fees. Huawei is the latest manufacturer to draw the watchful eye of Microsoft after a couple of successful product launches, including the new T-Mobile Springboard. According to the BBC, Huawei is already in negotiations to pay Microsoft. It looks like Huawei will quietly negotiate a licensing deal, as HTC, Samsung and others have already done.

Microsoft has a keen interested in Android despite selling its own mobile operating system - an interest that's vetted to the tune of more than $400 million a year in kickbacks from 53% of Android devices sold. Now Microsoft's deputy patent troll intellectual property counsel says that Google has built its OS on the back of technology developed (and owned) by the Redmond software giant. Microsoft is only one of many companies gunning for Android manufacturers, but tellingly, not targeting Google itself.

Today we have more news regarding some of those Apple patents. This morning after being filed way back in December of 2005, The US Patent & Trademark Office issued a patent grant to Apple regarding their familiar Slide to Unlock gesture. This has actually been officially granted to Apple, no longer is this pending, the deed is done.

Now that the Galaxy Nexus has finally been unveiled to the world, Samsung has admitted that the device was specifically designed with the thought of bypassing Apple patents to help avoid those lawyers we've seen so much from as of late. Talking to Yonhap News, mobile president Shin Jong-kyun mentioned the company “will avoid everything we can” and that they “take patents very seriously” and that obviously given the complexity of those situations nothing is certain.

Microsoft is at it again, wasting no time signing deals covering royalties and patent agreements from everyone involved in the Android OEM business as of late. The latest to fall victim this time around is Quanta Computers. The name might not be widely known but Quanta is a huge manufacturer of electronic devices. They built the BlackBerry Playbook, the Kindle Fire, and have contracts with companies such as HP, Apple, Dell, Gateway, Lenovo, Sony and many others. Today have signed patent royalty agreements with Microsoft over any Android or Chrome products they intent to build now, and in the future.

Apple and Samsung are tied up in mortal patent combat and Apple has come out ahead in many instances in Europe and other places. Dutch courts ruled that Samsung smartphones did in fact infringe on one of Apple's patents back in August. The violation was used to issue an injunction that kept Samsung Galaxy smartphones from being sold in the Netherlands after mid-month.

Patent suits are never ending in the tech world as companies that can't clearly dominate the market on the strength of their products alone at times turn to the legal system to try and beat the competitors. One of the most recent suits in the tech world is a new suit against Motorola Mobility that was brought against Motorola by Intellectual Ventures. Interestingly Google is one of the investors in Intellectual Ventures (IV).

Earlier today, Microsoft and Samsung finally came to terms regarding their patent lawsuits. Just like previous lawsuits before them aimed at HTC and others Samsung will now owe Micro$oft money for every single Android handset sold. This has been going on for a while and not the first time we've heard from Google or their lawyers. Just last month we mentioned Microsoft makes 3 times more off these patent payouts from Android phone OEM's than they do from Windows Phone 7 as a whole.

Just when we thought it was over, Oracle has reiterated in a court filing today that the patent infringement by Google's upon Java patents held by Oracle totals $202 million. They also claimed up to $960 million on the terms of copyright infringement by the internet search giant.

It's been over a year since we first reported that Oracle was looking into a suit against Google for its perceived infringement of their Java code, and we've finally come to a point where it appears that both parties are willing to reach, maybe, perhaps, a settlement. This settlement may well come in this newest announced move for a mediation meeting between representatives from Google and representatives from Oracle, this newest move sparking talk about how serious Google is taking the case and questions over whether or not they're prepared to defend themselves in a case that could, ultimately, believe it or not, end up in the destruction of Android as we know it today.